>>16775904
The article discusses Texas's central role in NASA's lunar exploration through Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park) and Intuitive Machines (Houston), part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which uses private companies to deliver lunar payloads cost-effectively amid competition with China. Firefly's Blue Ghost achieved a successful lunar landing in March 2025, delivering significant data, while Intuitive Machines' Odysseus and Athena missions (February and March 2025) faced challenges, tipping over and limiting operations. Despite a historical lunar mission failure rate over 50% due to navigation, gravity, and dust issues, both companies push innovation. Political challenges include a proposed 24% NASA budget cut in May 2025, later restored, but CLPS 2.0 remains unfunded. Future plans involve Firefly and Intuitive Machines' 2026 missions, NASA's 2027 Artemis III crewed landing, and a lunar nuclear reactor by 2030 to counter China's 2035 plans. Texas's successes signal potential for a lunar economy by the 2040s, but sustained political support is critical.